I knew them so well as individuals...

...but had no idea what a lovely couple they would make!

Halloween 07 Redux : Part I | Krishna and Flower

Prepwork

Execution

Celebrating with a Hindu God

Perfectly Reasonable Daydream: Wodaabe Wannabe | By Candlelight

"Wodaabe men perform the Yaake, a competition of charm and personality judged by the women...a series of wildly exaggeration facial expressions upon which their charm, magnetism, and personality will be judged. A man who can hold one eye still and roll the other is considered particularly alluring by the female judges. The Wodaabe say that the strength of the eyes makes marriages."

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Essential elements in this year's Halloween costume heaped upon my futon. What are YOU gonna be for Halloween?

Perfectly Reasonable Daydream: Falling

Phase One


Phase Two

Perfectly Reasonable Daydream: 4 | Four | 4 | Four

Purchase hundreds of these beautiful cardboard number fours and wallpaper an entire room with them. Or at least one wall.

The Boy Prince of Fashion | W.W.K.D.?

This excites me to no end!

This Just In | Shirt as Collar

Here is beautiful image from Fantastic Man Magazine passed along from a friend that I wanted to share with you. Though my interest in the geometry of men's clothing is in no way waning, this has nonetheless given my excitement a boost.

Dream Sequence | Mending Aretha (the queeN herself) | Shredding Tina

During a Sunday afternoon nap, I had the most vivid and wonderful dream in two parts:

Part one: Backstage at an Aretha Franklin concert, just before she's slated to go on stage, the queen herself realizes that the beaded and sequined detail at the front closure of her dress (at the junction of her noteworthy bosom) has fallen loose from the garment...so much so that even the black satin facing at the neckline has come loose. She comes to me in a flustered panic and asks if I can mend it quickly before she goes on. I happen to have needle and thread on hand (in the right color, even) and do a quick bit of hand-stitching that carries her through the show.



Part Two: On the streets of London, somewhere in the shopping district of Covent Garden, Tina Turner and I shop for new pieces to add to her stage wardrobe. This is late 1960s Tina, mind you....not the Tina of today. Sadly, everything we find offers nothing close to the torn, tattered jungle queen look she wants for that night's show. At Blackout II we find something close, and I offer to make a few last minute alterations to make it work. At the moment, the alterations I had in mind were to crop the skirt length to a scant 3 or 4 inches, and shred the hell out of every hem on the garment. All I want is for Tina to look great and be happy.

Addendum: 8 Minutes | Keep it slim

At first my plan was to use a needle to poke the hole in the eggs as erk suggested. The number 7 size milliner's needle I had handy seemed too large, so I opted for the more slender glass headed pin from my studio, which now has a permanent home poked into the window sill of the south wall my kitchen. It will always be within an arm's reach for a the quick prick of a shell.

8 minutes | Back to fashion soon enough

Two perfectly soft boiled eggs (perfect by my standards, at least) thanks to Erk's kind instructions. Great fun on a Monday morning!



Try it yourself:

-Bring egg to room temperature (you can force this by giving it a warm-water bath).
-Bring water to a light boil.
-Poke a tiny neat hole in one end of the egg (I use a pin which I keep in the kitchen just for this purpose. You could also use a proper cake tester if, unlike me, you have such a thing).
-Ease egg into boiling water.
-Boil for 9-10 minutes. Boil longer (12-13 min.) if the velvety center of my perfectly hardboiled egg doesn't appeal to you. For a soft boiled or particularly velvety yolk, opt for 7 or 8 minutes.
-Spoon egg out of the hot water and drop it into an ice-water bath. This prevents the outside of the yolk from turning gray.

j.d. revisited

On the street today: "Hey...young James Dean!"



I do not really see the resemblance, but LOVE the collar!

getting involved with all manner of strange and sometimes questionable characters

Happy birthday and sweet seamster wishes to dear friend and fellow blogger Erk! Long may you groom and never once lose your ever sparkling fashion savvy!

Tieing the Knot

The beautiful blue-green brocade crafted into neckties for the wedding party, with little ring bearer's on the left in miniature. Photos of the guys wearing them are forthcoming.

Home Sewer

This Saturday I take the stage at a neighborhood catholic church as a bridesmaid in the wedding ceremony of a dear friend. As my gift to the wedding party, I am making neckties to be worn by the five groomsmen, myself, and a wee little four year old ring bearer.

Cutting on the bias seems to have become a way of life.